Table 5. Number of Medicare surgical patients rehospitalized per 10,000 live discharges, within 30 days of discharge, and the average number of hospital days associated with all readmissions occurring within 30 days, for selected procedures, by region: 1979-80.

Procedure	United States	Region				Significant regional differences1
		North East	North Central	South	West
Prostatectomy (Cancer diagnosis)
Number rehospitalized	1,379	1,338	1,420	1,437	1,263	No
Number of days	15,440	17,340	16,720	14,880	11,790	Yes
Prostatectomy (Noncancer diagnosis)
Number rehospitalized	1,071	1,012	1,118	1,100	1,017	Yes
Number of days	11,380	12,740	11,830	11,190	9,500	Yes
Cholecystectomy
Number rehospitalized	806	701	775	914	772	Yes
Number of days	9,860	9,910	9,780	10,920	7,720	Yes
Inguinal hernia repair
Number rehospitalized	508	495	522	513	495	No
Number of days	5,660	6,550	6,370	5,230	4,100	Yes
Coronary artery bypass
Number rehospitalized	1,633	1,391	1,727	1,721	1,563	No
Number of days	19,340	19,660	20,610	19,320	17,350	No
Reduction, fracture of femur
Number rehospitalized	1,178	1,057	1,108	1,371	1,077	Yes
Number of days	21,620	24,000	20,910	22,390	18,490	No
Total hip replacement
Number rehospitalized	838	721	765	939	955	Yes
Number of days	13,560	16,320	11,150	16,080	12,060	No
Other arthroplasty of hip
Number rehospitalized	1,187	876	1,120	1,397	1,179	Yes
Number of days	20,670	20,530	19,100	22,800	18,830	No

¹1 or more pairwise differences significant at the .05 ÷ 6 = .0083 level.

NOTE: Age and sex adjusted to the U.S. sample by the direct method.

SOURCE: Health Care Financing Administration, Bureau of Data Management and Strategy: Data from the Medicare Statistical System, 1979-81.